"Blue Chip" and "Recruited Athlete" technical meaning at USAFA.

Do terms such as "Blue Chip" and "Recruited Athlete" have any technical or quantifiable meaning at USAFA?

There’s this little button called “search” on the forum. Try it some time. You might like it. (If you’re a real poster and not a troll). Nothing personal.

Christcorp said:

There’s this little button called “search” on the forum. Try it some time. You might like it. (If you’re a real poster and not a troll). Nothing personal.

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Thank you for the advice on the forum's search feature. Your previous posts were very informative.

Seemed like a simple question to me. to the forum, I guess. Geez.

BBBRRRTT, it's a valid question. Having observed the process through my DS and scouring these pages for info...I still had questions and our experience did not necessarily match what I read here and heard from coaches. After you have made enough postings, then please PM me and I'll be happy to share our experience - realize it may be different between sports and coaches.

In short, you need to focus on getting in with the best scores you can, even if your told you have a blue chip. You will see on these pages many do not get in with high marks in all areas. Just focus on presenting your best. You can find on the Internet the guidebook for ALO it goes over suggested interview questions etc.

PS I have one son who graduated this year and another son who was told he had a blue chip who did not get accepted.

The process seems to have changed from the admission of DS1 to DS 2 so change is a constant. ALO was very responsive the first time. We had a hard time getting any response the second time. Trying to schedule the interview was very difficult and happened via video chat compared to a home visit the first time. That being said to show info here does become outdated as you search back for info .

Valid questions. And welcome to the forum. These are actually common questions that we get for each SA throughout the year. We see a lot of the same questions each year, therefore the search function can be a valuable tool.

Being recruited by a SA is confusing, no doubt about it. The one thing you can’t forget is it is still recruitment. Your value as a recruit to a coach/team can change daily. So one minute you might be the #1 recruit for a certain position and the next day it might be totally different. A reach recruit, a prep schooler who was not doing well and is now on track or a plethora of other items could change this. So one minute a coach can be saying that you are a blue chip and the next you might not be. SA coaches tend to be up front, but things change so quickly and many of those changes don’t get communicated. It is D1 recruiting after all. Recruited can me anything from he coach talked to somebody to somebody the coaches really want. Blue chip generally means a top recruit for the team and the coach really wants them. Now how that helps a recruit can vary by team. For some it means the coach can say they are 3Q, I am using one of the noms allocated to me and therefore in. For others it could be something slightly less than that.

Also, attrition on a SA sports team is pretty high. Recruiting classes also tend to be larger, especially for sports with prep school teams. Basketball for my class at USNA had 9 recruits. 3 were blue chips. The only 3 to make it 4 years were the 3 of us. Football recruiting classes can be 60+ young men. Senior day there are usually 20-30, with about half those being named we have heard of or got playing time. It’s a lot of work to not see the field. Blue chip and recruited athlete can carry different weight for each team and each candidate. Bottom line, if you want to USAFA appyly, listen to the coaches, but have a Plan B, because there are no guarantees.

I don’t say all this to be negative, but a SA and sports is a tough balance. But it can be done. It’s a great balance if you learn to manage your schedule, prioritize and still can enjoy the sport at the highest level.

I replied the way I did, because there are probably close to 143,435 or more posts on this topic. Matter of fact, on the main page of recent topics, there’s an entire thread on recruited athletes. Wouldn’t even need to search to see that one.

I wasn’t being a smart a$$. But from your question, it was apparent that you didn’t look at any previous threads. Even on the first page within the last day or two. Your question could have easily have been asked in that thread. Which by the way, was also answered in that thread. By many people and none other than myself.

It’s one thing to answer the same questions over and over again because someone didn’t try searching first. But when there’s a thread titled recruited athletes just 8 threads down from the one your started, that’s a bit frustrating.

And again, as I posted, it’s nothing personal.

Observation: for anyone that cares. I’ve been on this forum a while, so my observation may be anecdotal, but I bet a person would be hard pressed to come up with any question that hasn’t already been asked and addressed on this forum concerning the academy. ANY QUESTION.

I understand there are a lot of anxious individuals who visit the forums who are interested in attending the academies. They have hundreds of questions and they are impatient for the answers. But one of the first signs of maturity, whether for the academy, going to college, getting a job, etc. is being able to do for yourself and not rely on others to do for you and look for the easy way out.

And just so you know, I am not lecturing you or being personal. Those who know me on the forum, know that I write posts NOT only for the original poster, but MORE for the readers who haven’t posted, for whatever reason. So not only do you get your answer and learn, but so others can learn from this thread also without necessarily asking a question directly.

Best of luck

I'll add a bit of my son's experience. He was recruited by all the service academies for football except for West Point. He was a good student but much better athlete and academics was what kept him from attending any of them. The great coach Fisher DeBerry wrote him a nice letter thanking him for going through the recruiting process but his academics weren't strong enough to get into USAFA. The USCGA coach called one day and spoke with me (son was not home) about prep school.

We were sure USNA though was gonna happen. Tickets on the 50 yard line to all home games. Conversations on the field pre-game with Coach Johnson. Football camp two straight summers. Phone calls during the week from his recruiting coach. Then it all ended. As NavyHoops stated, your value as a recruit can change daily. My son really didn't have a Plan B and bounced around different schools chasing the sports dream until that ended. He graduated though and is now a Marine captain. It just took a little longer to get there.

Christcorp said:

I replied the way I did, because there are probably close to 143,435 or more posts on this topic. Matter of fact, on the main page of recent topics, there’s an entire thread on recruited athletes. Wouldn’t even need to search to see that one.

I wasn’t being a smart a$$. But from your question, it was apparent that you didn’t look at any previous threads. Even on the first page within the last day or two. Your question could have easily have been asked in that thread. Which by the way, was also answered in that thread. By many people and none other than myself.

It’s one thing to answer the same questions over and over again because someone didn’t try searching first. But when there’s a thread titled recruited athletes just 8 threads down from the one your started, that’s a bit frustrating.

And again, as I posted, it’s nothing personal.

Observation: for anyone that cares. I’ve been on this forum a while, so my observation may be anecdotal, but I bet a person would be hard pressed to come up with any question that hasn’t already been asked and addressed on this forum concerning the academy. ANY QUESTION.

I understand there are a lot of anxious individuals who visit the forums who are interested in attending the academies. They have hundreds of questions and they are impatient for the answers. But one of the first signs of maturity, whether for the academy, going to college, getting a job, etc. is being able to do for yourself and not rely on others to do for you and look for the easy way out.

And just so you know, I am not lecturing you or being personal. Those who know me on the forum, know that I write posts NOT only for the original poster, but MORE for the readers who haven’t posted, for whatever reason. So not only do you get your answer and learn, but so others can learn from this thread also without necessarily asking a question directly.

Best of luck

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Let me echo Christcorp's comments. Each SA publishes instructions. If you start there you can't go wrong. I will say USAFA does not talk much, even at all, about recruiting. It is left to each individual coach. If the coach wants you, you meet admission requirements and there is room (the big if), you have a good shot. If a recruit pops into play at the last minute you may be bumped down and out of the running. There is only so much room for recruited athletes. I will say, that coaches are generally honest about a candidate's athletic prospects. They don't know so much about the other admission factors. Don't hear only what you want to hear from a coach. It is D1 recruiting afterall. If a candidate drops out, they would like to move someone up as well and want to keep these folks interested. Always, Always, Always have a plan B, C, D.

If you really want to play intercollegiate sports in college, are committed to attending a Service Academy, but have marginal D1 potential, then apply to USCGA. You will likely get all the playing time you want at the D3 level, get a great education, have a great job after graduation, and be able to serve your country.

After reading the 143,435 previous posts regarding this topic plus the other posts above, I have concluded that the terms blue chip and recruited athlete have no technical or quantifiable meaning at USAFA. Thanks to all for the informative posts. You all have truly been a wealth of information.

I would probably argue that it is does, but unless we sit on the admissions board, we will have no clue to how much. I would also say it probably depends on the sport and some other factors. SA recruitment is a weird world. Good luck.

BBBRRRTT said:

After reading the 143,435 previous posts regarding this topic plus the other posts above, I have concluded that the terms blue chip and recruited athlete have no technical or quantifiable meaning at USAFA. Thanks to all for the informative posts. You all have truly been a wealth of information.

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Classy.

My unofficial definitions (might fall under the OP's definition of quantifiable) from being on the forum for awhile:

Recruited Athlete: A 3/Q'ed SA candidate that a coach is interested in seeing receive & accept an Offer of Appointment.
Blue Chip: A recruited athlete so highly thought of that the coach is willing to request/use a Superintendent's Nomination on.

Wishful said:

My unofficial definitions (might fall under the OP's definition of quantifiable) from being on the forum for awhile:

Recruited Athlete: A 3/Q'ed SA candidate that a coach is interested in seeing receive & accept an Offer of Appointment.
Blue Chip: A recruited athlete so highly thought of that the coach is willing to request/use a Superintendent's Nomination on.

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The only thing I’d question on this, is first hand experience with my son. He was recruited by the academy to play football. He was also considered and called by the recruiting coach a “Blue chip”. Here’s the kicker. By the time the coach knew about my son and football, because of reports and articles the coach received about my sons teaming winning state championship, son being selected all State, and other accolades, my son had already received an appointment prior to being recruited. My son received his appointment in October but was recruited by the coach in November.

So while the coach used terms like blue chip, recruited athlete, etc. to my son, my son had already received an early appointment based on his application without being a recruited athlete even a consideration. Son had a presidential nomination and thus was able to receive an appointment in October before even moc interviews and nominations were even given out.

So again I say, when the academy uses terms like recruited athlete, blue chip, national signing day, letter of intent, etc. these are simply terms they use for the applicant and their parents. Terms that are familiar with the applicant and parent so they can sort of compare the academy offer with those of other schools courting the individual. In the end, the academy doesn’t have scholarships, no athletic scholarships, national signing day is simply a way to get the individual to feel similar to recruited athletes at other schools. Letter of intent has not legal standing if the applicant changes their mind and wants to accept another school later. Even the academy appointment has no binding meaning. An applicant can accept an appointment and simply not show up on I-day and decide to make other plans. The academy is simply trying to use a vernacular that applicants and parents can use to compare apples and oranges and not come up with a fuel injector when making a decision.

[QUOTE="Christcorp, post: 618220, Those who know me on the forum, know that I write posts NOT only for the original poster, but MORE for the readers who haven’t posted, for whatever reason. So not only do you get your answer and learn, but so others can learn from this thread also without necessarily asking a question directly.

Best of luck[/QUOTE]

Others can only benefit from your post if they use the "search" function and find this thread, then read it to find your post....
Lol
Nice work though!

shock-n-awe said:

[QUOTE="Christcorp, post: 618220, Those who know me on the forum, know that I write posts NOT only for the original poster, but MORE for the readers who haven’t posted, for whatever reason. So not only do you get your answer and learn, but so others can learn from this thread also without necessarily asking a question directly.

Best of luck

Click to expand...

Others can only benefit from your post if they use the "search" function and find this thread, then read it to find your post....
Lol
Nice work though![/QUOTE]

That’s true. But you’d be surprised at how many lurkers there are. They come to the forum and read all the threads that were posted that day. 2,5,10 threads. They never post or reply, but they read them every day. I have had quite a few applicants and fellow alo’s and academy admissions folks who mentioned things on this forum they read. They’d mention screen names that I recognized, so I knew they were reading posts. I even had one of the colonels at the academy tell me at our yearly Alo meeting, about a topic that these posters “Flieger and Christcorp” were commenting on. I giggled and told them who they were. The colonel didn’t realize quite a few alo’s were on this forum. He started reading more often. Still never posted.

So yes, there isn’t a topic imaginable that if a reader searches for, they won’t find. But the academies are always evolving. Admissions and life at the academy is always changing. So there’s always room to amend, adjust, tweet, etc. previous threads. But searching will definitely help resolve 90% of a person’s questions, with the other 10% being updated information that they can ask about. That’s a lot better than having to explain 100% of the topic again,,,,, and again,,,,,, and again,,,,,, til death do us part.

Christcorp said:

shock-n-awe said:

[QUOTE="Christcorp, post: 618220, Those who know me on the forum, know that I write posts NOT only for the original poster, but MORE for the readers who haven’t posted, for whatever reason. So not only do you get your answer and learn, but so others can learn from this thread also without necessarily asking a question directly.

Best of luck

Click to expand...

Others can only benefit from your post if they use the "search" function and find this thread, then read it to find your post....
Lol
Nice work though!

Click to expand...

That’s true. But you’d be surprised at how many lurkers there are. They come to the forum and read all the threads that were posted that day. 2,5,10 threads. They never post or reply, but they read them every day. I have had quite a few applicants and fellow alo’s and academy admissions folks who mentioned things on this forum they read. They’d mention screen names that I recognized, so I knew they were reading posts. I even had one of the colonels at the academy tell me at our yearly Alo meeting, about a topic that these posters “Flieger and Christcorp” were commenting on. I giggled and told them who they were. The colonel didn’t realize quite a few alo’s were on this forum. He started reading more often. Still never posted.

So yes, there isn’t a topic imaginable that if a reader searches for, they won’t find. But the academies are always evolving. Admissions and life at the academy is always changing. So there’s always room to amend, adjust, tweet, etc. previous threads. But searching will definitely help resolve 90% of a person’s questions, with the other 10% being updated information that they can ask about. That’s a lot better than having to explain 100% of the topic again,,,,, and again,,,,,, and again,,,,,, til death do us part.[/QUOTE]
I know there are many lurkers who search for information, I did that years back too, and learned many a things!
I should've used the sarcasm font in my previous post.....

Christcorp said:

Others can only benefit from your post if they use the "search" function and find this thread, then read it to find your post....
Lol
Nice work though!

Click to expand...

That’s true. But you’d be surprised at how many lurkers there are. They come to the forum and read all the threads that were posted that day. 2,5,10 threads. They never post or reply, but they read them every day. I have had quite a few applicants and fellow alo’s and academy admissions folks who mentioned things on this forum they read. They’d mention screen names that I recognized, so I knew they were reading posts. I even had one of the colonels at the academy tell me at our yearly Alo meeting, about a topic that these posters “Flieger and Christcorp” were commenting on. I giggled and told them who they were. The colonel didn’t realize quite a few alo’s were on this forum. He started reading more often. Still never posted.

So yes, there isn’t a topic imaginable that if a reader searches for, they won’t find. But the academies are always evolving. Admissions and life at the academy is always changing. So there’s always room to amend, adjust, tweet, etc. previous threads. But searching will definitely help resolve 90% of a person’s questions, with the other 10% being updated information that they can ask about. That’s a lot better than having to explain 100% of the topic again,,,,, and again,,,,,, and again,,,,,, til death do us part.[/QUOTE]Still seems like a simple question that I did get benefit from as I am a recuited athlete so I am glad it was asked. I am one of those you mention who reads this site almost everyday but I do not post. I have used the search engine on this site multiple times over the past several weeks and honestly it's a lot closer to bringing up what I need about 60% of the time, not 90%. A few times I have seen an old post pop up new for the day and I'll wonder why it did not hit my search results as that was what I was searching. I understand and can read the frustration in many posts from the small group who likes to jump in and try to answer. Perhaps if you are tired of the same questions it's time to take a break. I cannot count how many answers, maybe everyday, which start out look at every dropdown and every corner of the site and use the little search button as it would have come back 143678 times if you had. Then a later post within the same string will have a new nuanced answer that I hadn't thought of which helped me. All I can say is I'm glad people ask questions on here, even if they are repeats as I get benefit from them. I do thank those who try to answer with patience, it is helping me with this application process that I am trying my best to get through. Not sure who gets any benefit out of the 'classy' comment above but I guess there are four who liked and as someone above stated, welcome to the forum.

Wishful said:

My unofficial definitions (might fall under the OP's definition of quantifiable) from being on the forum for awhile:

Recruited Athlete: A 3/Q'ed SA candidate that a coach is interested in seeing receive & accept an Offer of Appointment.
Blue Chip: A recruited athlete so highly thought of that the coach is willing to request/use a Superintendent's Nomination on.

Click to expand...

OP, thank you for your question! Had I not seen it I wouldn't have been able to share MY dd's experience with you which is from this last application cycle. The above poster stated it very simply and this was our exact experience.

My daughter was a "Blue Chip" Athlete and is a current Plebe this year. She was recruited by several academies and was told she was a "Blue Chip" athlete and one of their top recruits. She was told "Blue Chip" athletes are those top recruits that they know are being looked at by other elite schools. She was also told that the "blue chip" term is used for those very competitive athletes that are strong in all areas. In fact the LOA and "blue chip" term were used when they found out her test scores and academic profile. Many people have the impression that recruited athletes skate in with just their sport but all the academies definitely made it clear that she would have to have the academic package as well and we really loved that about them. Some also forget that in order to be a top athlete at an Academy you had to put in endless hours for years in your sport while getting top scores at the same time.

Well she applied and went through the normal process of getting nominations which she was thankfully successful at. She was told as a "blue chip" athlete (and in my dd's sport there was just a couple) that if she was unable to secure a nomination then they would help her get one somewhere else but they encouraged her to go through the process because they know as a strong candidate you are likely to get one on your own and they won't have to use a Superintendent's nomination. So very simply like the above poster stated "Blue Chip" is reserved for their top 3/Q'd recruits.

My dd initially contacted coaches at the schools she was most interested in and the Naval Academy was her top choice in a pool of some really elite schools. If anyone is interested in being recruited by an Academy I would definitely reach out to them and make sure you have your gpa and test scores ready. Even if you are not a top recruit it is good to get a conversation going and get on their radar which can only help you.

Gaittrainer said:

BBBRRRTT, it's a valid question. Having observed the process through my DS and scouring these pages for info...I still had questions and our experience did not necessarily match what I read here and heard from coaches. After you have made enough postings, then please PM me and I'll be happy to share our experience - realize it may be different between sports and coaches.

In short, you need to focus on getting in with the best scores you can, even if your told you have a blue chip. You will see on these pages many do not get in with high marks in all areas. Just focus on presenting your best. You can find on the Internet the guidebook for ALO it goes over suggested interview questions etc.

PS I have one son who graduated this year and another son who was told he had a blue chip who did not get accepted.

The process seems to have changed from the admission of DS1 to DS 2 so change is a constant. ALO was very responsive the first time. We had a hard time getting any response the second time. Trying to schedule the interview was very difficult and happened via video chat compared to a home visit the first time. That being said to show info here does become outdated as you search back for info .

Click to expand...

I will also add that the ALO situation changed a lot between my daughter applying for class of 2021 and reapplying for class of 2022. It was not a good change and I feel that there were many more unhappy with the changes that were made.